1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing technique for processing data received from an external device via a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, there have been systems capable of remotely operating an external device from a personal computer (PC) or the like via a network. For example, in a network camera system used for remote surveillance or the like, a PC and a camera are connected via a network, with the camera being operable from the PC. Generally in a network camera system, images/video, operation button information and the like are transmitted from the camera to the PC, and the received images/video, operation buttons and the like are displayed on a web browser or dedicated application in the PC. Also, information on operations performed on the PC by an operator is sent to the camera, enabling the camera orientation or zoom magnification to be changed.
There are also remote operation systems capable of operating a plurality of external devices from a single device. As for the display configuration on the display unit of a device capable of operating a plurality of external devices, there already exist several methods.
In a first method, an external device selection window such as shown in FIG. 17 is displayed, and once the operator has selected one of a plurality of devices (cameras 1, 2, 3, 4), an operation window of the selected device is displayed. That is, a single window is displayed once the operator has selected one of a plurality of devices (cameras 1, 2, 3, 4) by a certain method.
A second method involves displaying the operation windows of a plurality of external devices simultaneously on a single screen, as shown in FIG. 16. In systems capable of operating an external device from a web browser, for example, operation windows such as in FIG. 16 can be configured by launching a plurality of web browsers in a PC. Such a display can also be realized with dedicated application software.
Systems that operate an external device from a web browser often use a language such as Java® or JavaScript. Security restrictions apply when these languages are used, generally making it impossible to control a plurality of external devices from a single web browser window. Therefore, to perform operations while viewing a plurality of external devices, it is necessary to launch a plurality of web browsers and configure the screen as in FIG. 16.
A third method is a surveillance camera control system in which operation buttons are disposed in one location as buttons common to the external devices, and a plurality of pieces of video received from each of the external devices is displayed (e.g., see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-046994).
A problem with the first method, however, is that the operation windows of a plurality of external devices cannot be displayed at one time, and, moreover, this method is operationally cumbersome given that the external device selection window has to be displayed again in order to display the operation window of another external device.
A problem with the aforementioned second method is that while the operation windows of a plurality of devices can be displayed simultaneously, the operation windows of the individual devices are small. In the case where the operation windows of similar devices are displayed simultaneously, plural of the same operation buttons will be displayed on the screen, possibly causing the operator confusion in performing operations. There is also redundancy in processing with regard to plural of the same operation buttons being displayed on the screen. In systems that use a web browser, this method is also operationally cumbersome given that a plurality of web browsers has to be launched.
The aforementioned third method requires a dedicated application that takes prior consideration of the operation buttons of connected external devices. In the case where an external device is replaced, requiring new operation buttons, for example, the dedicated application also needs to be updated, making it impossible to respond flexibly to the functions of external devices.